BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Learning to See Creatively

Photography Question 

Michael D. Kendall
 

Emotional Aspect of Pphotography


How many times have you seen an excellent shot and thought, "I'd feel like a fool getting out of my car here in front of all these people to snap a photo"? (This happened to me this morning - wished I had stopped.)


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February 19, 2007

 

Mike Rubin
  Some of my best shots were because I didn't care about looking foolish. OK, the time I got flat on my back in the center of a railroad museum floor to shoot the ceiling, even my wife and son disappeared, lol
Let people laugh. You'll get the shot they only dream of, or at least give them something to talk about the rest of the day. :)


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February 19, 2007

 

John H. Siskin
  Quite a few years ago I was flat on my belly photographing ants. Another photographer came up and snapped a pic of me shooting ants. That picture was published in the Los Angeles Times. That was embarrassing. Got a good picture of an ant, though. Thanks, John Siskin


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February 19, 2007

 

Samuel Smith
  if that's the worst thing that ever happens to you,wow.i suppose for some it's like speaking in public.c'mon,give'em a good laugh.
sam


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February 19, 2007

 
- Carolyn M. Fletcher

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  I've had several amusing things happen. In the spring, there's a nice wildflower patch in the median between 3 roads. I always get strange looks when I'm flopped on my face in the middle of it shooting flowers. Once, I was on my back shooting the undersides of some tulips, and pretty soon, a lady appeared in my vision field wondering if I was okay. Her car was stopped with the doors open in the middle of the road. Gotta love it!


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February 19, 2007

 

Sharon Day
  I'm a little inhibited about getting down for that special shot myself. As long as I can remain in a standing position I don't really mind the thought of people watching, but I hate bending over or laying down ;)!

LOL Carolyn! Be careful not to do that in the middle of a road. We were in the truck once driving down the road when we saw a dog flopping around in the middle of our lane of the road. My husband said, "poor thing look like he's been run over, should I finish the job?" We were in a semi so we knew we'd finish the job. I couldn't even answer him. He decided at the last minute he couldn't do it so he swerved and missed the dog rolling ON A DEAD ANIMAL LOL.


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February 19, 2007

 

John H. Siskin
  I used to give students an assignment to shoot cracks in sidewalk. The assignment taught them how to use line as part of a design and that you could get away with crazy behavior if you had a camera. Thanks, John Siskin


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February 19, 2007

 

Sharon Day
  John Siskin, it's really nice seeing your input in the Q&A. For a while none of the instructors were offering any insights or help at all and it was greatly missed. Thank you!


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February 19, 2007

 

John H. Siskin
  For me it’s a matter of time. When I have free time I like to answer questions, mostly questions about lighting. When I get busy the Q&A stuff is hard to fit in. I really appreciate your enthusiasm! Thanks, John Siskin


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February 19, 2007

 

Irene Troy
  I am laughing my head off right now! This thread could not have come at a better time for me! I am the world’s greatest klutz and have many stories of doing incredibly stupid things in the name of trying to capture a special image. This morning I was outside before dawn when the temperature with wind chill was around -20. I had the bright idea of capturing sunrise over the ocean with ice encrusted rocks in the foreground. Everything near me right now is covered with about 5” of ice and is very slick and slippery. I set up my tripod on an icy sand dune and waited for the sun to peak out from the clouds. The sun started up over the horizon and I started to focus when I also started to slip on the ice. Suddenly I was holding onto the tripod and the camera while slipping down the icy dune toward the water. I hit the bottom of the dune with the tripod on my stomach and the camera in my face. Luckily neither got wet. When I finally managed to untangle myself, I heard laughing and looked up to see several people standing on a nearby deck looking out at the fool who was giving them a better show then the cloudy sunrise. Worst thing of all; I got no pictures! Luckily, I have given up trying to impress people with my gracefulness.


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February 19, 2007

 

Sharon Day
  Irene, get some chains or crampons for your boots. Chains can be as inexpensive as $10. Crampons are much more expensive, but cheaper than replacing your gear or hospital bills assuming you made it out of the water alive :o)! It didn't sound like a laughing situation!


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February 19, 2007

 

Samuel Smith
  i have this idea that what is posted has a predominance over who posts.
if your intent is to give more credence to a certain individual,wether the information is applicable or not,then don't be subjective.ok.
geez,trust or give credence to information,not a person.
I will never assume the answer I get is correct,but it may help in my diagnosis.
sam


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February 19, 2007

 

Irene Troy
  Hey Sharon! I actually have stretch on type crampons that fit my boots. I use them all the time in winter, especially around our small farm when trying to get my chores done. Stupidly I was not wearing them yesterday. Actually, it was quite funny because neither I nor the equipment got injured. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned not to get easily embarrassed by my own stupid moves. I’ve also learned that if I want an image sometimes I have to look like a fool to others! You know how it is when you see something really neat and want to get a photo. You just do what you need to do and then you realize that other people are watching you and wondering what you are doing. But, I’m trying to be a photographer, not a graceful “lady”. :)lol!


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February 20, 2007

 

Karolyn R. Moltzan
  I used to struggle with feeling silly too - luckily having a camera in your hand does seem to give you kind of a 'license' to do do whatever it takes to get the good shot. I always felt silly stopping on the side of the road, too. But, one of my favorite shoots was an impromptu session with a band - I took them out to main street which has a dead end, in the dark... It was halloween so I had on a go-go dancer dress - my sister was helping me and had a prom dress on with a knife in her back. To ge the angle I wanted I was laying on my belly right in the middle of the street (and Oct. in ND is COLD!). I know I looked ridiculous, but we all had a blast, and the pictures turned out awesome (look for SWITCH in my gallery). The best advice - loosen up and just don't care what other people think. Lots of people act stupid and have no excuse for it! We've got our cameras so we're justified!


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February 20, 2007

 

Jennifer Hopper
 
 
 
Or the time I had stopped on the side of the rural highwayway to get a shot of ice formations. It was well below freezing outside, and I had to keep jumping around and slapping my hands on my legs to keep the blood flowing, but the sun was going down soon, and it was just so pretty! Some nice passerby apparently called the state troopers to come check that my car wasn't broken down. I wasn't entirely sure the trooper wasn't going to ticket me for being an idiot.


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February 20, 2007

 

Dennis C. Hirning
  My best pictures are always the ones that I didn't stop to take. Unfortunately they are all in my mind's eye. I was driving between Duluth and Thunderbay just before sunset when I saw a little thunder storm over Lake Superior. When I could see it, there was no place to pull over and when I could pull over the storm was blocked by trees. I that the little pinkish cloud with the pale blue sky reflected in the smooth lake is probably one of the best pictures I didn't take.


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February 20, 2007

 
- Nanette B. Stephens

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  On my way to work I pass this pasture full of Holstein cows every morning. One morning I stopped to take a picture, which is in my gallery, of all the cows eating except one. A brown jersey was standing there facing the road and just standing there while all of the other Holstein cows were eating. I immediately pulled over, set up and took the picture. I did get strange looks because I was dressed in a suit and heels for work. Even the local police offer looked at me funny. It was a great shot and worth it. I call it "What Are You Looking At"? Good luck and just go for it. It will always be worth it.


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February 20, 2007

 
- Carolyn M. Fletcher

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  I just stop wherever I happen to want to, middle of the road, one wheel off a cliff, or whatever. People have no sense of humor. LOL.. You can get in trouble, though..I climbed down a cliff to get to a riverbank and then forgot how I got down there and had to walk in the water until I found a place to climb back up..and of course I was alone and nobody knew where I was (as usual).


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February 20, 2007

 

Sharon Day
  Good for you, Carolyn! I've never had the guts to stop in the road, but have wanted to really bad a few times. When I go for rides on two lanes in the country there's never any shoulder and the grassy areas never look firm enough for pulling over or else they'll have a big hulking ditch in them.


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February 20, 2007

 

David B. Coblitz
 
 
  Gen. Franz Sigel Statue at night
Gen. Franz Sigel Statue at night
in St. Louis Forest Park
30sec f/22 ISO 100.

David B. Coblitz

 
 
I would suggest that whenever you have that uneasy feeling, you just remind yourself that if you shoot from where everyone else normally looks, you won't get the unusual perspectives/points of view that frequently make for great/unusual photographs. Whenever I look at a photo or movie, I think about where the cameraman was when that shot was taken. Frequently you can surmize that they were in a more precarious situation than the subject being shot.
Dave Coblitz - Coblitz Creative Concepts, LLC


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February 20, 2007

 
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